


Building Bridges

by IsobelSionisFalcone



Category: Half-Life
Genre: Conversations, Developing Relationship, F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-12-18
Updated: 2018-08-15
Packaged: 2019-02-16 17:48:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 1,702
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13059048
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/IsobelSionisFalcone/pseuds/IsobelSionisFalcone
Summary: A series of conversations that a new security guard at the Black Mesa facility has with the one and only Barney Calhoun.





	1. New Gal

**Author's Note:**

> I don't think there's enough Barney fic out there, so here you go. I'm English, so sorry if some of the Americanisms sound off.

Standing, watching, waiting. For what, she doesn't know. Another physicist steps off of the monorail car, flashes his I.D and she uses her own (level four clearance, naturally) to open the doors. The time on the scanner reads ten-thirty-eight and whoever is supposed to be standing with her is three hours late for his shift.

The corridor is dark and reeks of the toxic waste that's flowing beneath her feet. The Black Mesa facility is like nothing she's ever seen before; lucrative, secretive and an insurance company's worst nightmare. She nearly tripped into the river of murky green upon her arrival down here, after the odour nearly brought back her breakfast.

Lasagne for dinner. She'd seen it in the fridge this morning. What to have with it, though? Salad? Fries?

A man in a uniform identical to her own yawns and nearly falls out of the monorail. He strolls towards her, arms swinging by his sides as he carries his pistol all too casually.

She's got some chocolate cake saved from the celebrations the night before, what with her mother being adamant that a new job was cause for a party. She can have that for dessert if she saves enough room for it-

"Hey."

"Hey."

The man checks in with his level four security clearance card and stand opposite her. They watch the metal tracks for a little while, listening to the sound of running fluid and the humming of generators. She's entitled to a lunch break any time after twelve. She'll need to go into the break room with all of the lab-coats, sitting there with her orange juice (to aid digestion, so her mother says) while they all knock back three double shots of espresso. She doesn't even want to think about how much she'd need to pee after all of that caffeine.

"You the new gal?"

His eyes are soft hazel-green, one dark eyebrow raised smoothly, like a man who's just about in control of his life.

"Yeah."

He gives a light laugh and says; "I'd apologise for being late, but everyone sort of expects it, so I normally don't have to bother."

Again there's a short pause as he lets a scientist through the doors. They slide closed with a hiss that belongs in a sci-fi movie and her company for the next eight hours tucks his ten millimetre pistol into his belt.

"I didn't get your name," he says. She can't tell whether he's making small talk or if he's genuinely interested.

"That's probably because I didn't give it," she responds and he chuckles, shaking his head. "It's Wilhelmina."

"Wilhelmina..." he tests it out, lets it roll around his mouth a few times before he says; "Mind if I call you Bill?"

"Sure," she shrugs.

"Nice. I'm Barney."

He turns and extends his hand with a smile. Bill takes it and accepts his greeting before they take to doing their jobs once more. Another one of the eggheads gets off the monorail car and she takes responsibility this time as Barney takes the opportunity to check his pockets for change.

"Huh. I could've sworn I had a quarter in here..."

"What, are going to pull it from behind my ear, now?" Bill smirks.

"No, I'm serious. I need that for my candy bar."

She rolls her eyes as he continues to rifle through every receptacle in his uniform. She stands, watches and waits. She doesn't know what for, with the terrible smell out here and the dim light, but at least her partner isn't so bad. Even if he was late.


	2. Stitching

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bill notices a hole in Barney's pocket.

He's late again. Bill has been standing on her own, opening the doors for going on two hours. The growl of her stomach echoes and she grimaces, taking a nervous glance in search of any eavesdroppers. The next car rolls in and there's still no sign of Barney. A couple of scientists enter the lab after she checks their I.D, the same thing she did yesterday and the same thing she'll be doing all day today. She's come prepared with her energy drink to keep her awake, but if she's to obey company regulations, she'll need to wait for Barney to get here so he can cover for her while she takes a leak...

If there's one thing she's learned, it's that the eggheads don't care what she does, as long as someone's there to let them in and out. They care about their experiments and little else, save the odd few, but Barney told her that he's never even seen any kind of security management down here, and they can't check when he clocks in because he's never disciplined for his punctuality (or his lack thereof).

"So long as one of us is out here," he'd told her, "it's fine. There's no one in there who's going to report us if we have a cigarette."

Barney arrives half-an-hour later, by which time Bill is desperate to relieve herself. She apologises before dashing to the toilet and back, letting out an airy sigh when the pressure in her bladder is at last gone. When she returns, Barney is busy loading his pistol, whistling to himself as he clicks the safety on.

"Hey, so, I don't suppose you could lend me a quarter," he says, tucking his pistol away.

"Sure," Bill replies. "For your candy bar."

"Thanks," he smiles. "I don't know how I keep losing them..."

Bill snorts. "Maybe because there's a big hole in your pocket?"

Barney's eyes widen and his hands dart to his favourite pocket on the left side of his blue security uniform. He tentatively explores the space, should anything else he's put in there suffer the same fate as his money, and his fingers poke right through the hole.

"You know, I didn't even think to check..." he says, but somehow, he still looks as calm and collected as ever, only just bothered about his predicament.

Bill doesn't know whether she should ask him if he'd want her to sew it up. She's only known him for a day. There's something intimate about sewing up a man's pockets. She isn't sure either of them would be comfortable with that.

"There's always the other one, I guess," he says with a shrug. That's when she can't resist any longer.

"I can stitch it for you, if you want," she offers. The words fly out of her mouth before she can stop them.

Barney quirks an eyebrow. "You can sew?"

"Of course," she says. "I was always stitching up my little brother's stuffed animals."

The young man gives a good-natured laugh. "Well, if you want to do it, I won't argue with you."

She kicks herself for that, as she agrees to do it during their lunch break. Her mind starts to wander; will he keep it on while she works? Will she get so close that she's able to smell him? Got to be better than the smell out here, but Bill supposes that's irrelevant, because she's just made a promise (sort of) and now, she's got to stick to it.

It's times like these when she regrets having the instincts of a pedantic mother...


	3. Company

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bill realises she likes Barney's company.

"Okay, so, have you ever tried that candy bar in the yellow wrapper?" Barney asks as they stand either side of the doors.

"Don't think so," Bill shrugs, clipping her radio onto her uniform. "Why?"

"Tastes like sawdust..." he replies with a shuddering grimace.

"How would you know what sawdust tastes like?"

Barney shrugs. "I can take a guess," he says. "Kinda dry and... dusty."

"Well," Bill stifles a yawn mid-sentence. "Thanks for the warning, I guess."

Her security partner cocks a knowing smile. "You stay up last night?"

She shakes her head, drowsiness clinging to her voice as she responds. "No. Neighbours kept me awake. Don't ask how."

The first monorail car arrives at the platform and Barney prepares to open the doors. They have devised a system of fair turn-taking; Bill checks the identification of the scientists, then Barney lets them in. They swap the next time and it goes on until their shifts end. Their only entertainment is each other and, as much as she's afraid to admit it, Bill is actually growing quite fond of Barney. She doesn't feel like she'll be going insane just yet, what with his nonchalance, his easy-going nature. Yes, he makes it a whole lot better out here, she decides.

"You know, I would've put a glass against the wall..." he starts.

"Barney, they're like, fifty," Bill grimaces. "I definitely don't want to listen to rhythmically cracking joints."

"Or entire bones..." he says and they both laugh. "Besides, nothing wrong with that. Gotta keep the spice alive, you know?"

That does it. She doubles over laughing, harder than she can ever remember laughing since last Christmas, when her father had tried Wii Sports tennis with his morbidly overweight Mii. To hear Barney say something like that, well... It tickles her, to say the least. She's still laughing when she has to open the door for a couple of receptionists, at which point she's breathless, red-faced and desperately hoping she pressed the right button on the scanner. As much as she's enjoying the unexpected laughter, it wouldn't be worth disciplinary action for having sounded the intruder alert, or putting the entire department on lock down.

"You should let me take you out for a drink sometime," Barney offers with a sympathetic smile. "You look like you could use the company."

Bill supposes that's true. She's felt the emptiness of her apartment lately, a cold, lonely chill settling over her when she sits to watch the late bulletin. She could probably try to be better flirt, get a guy into her bed to make the nights a little easier, but she's never been confident enough. That's why she likes this job. No one gives her a second glance, except Barney. No one needs to. As long as Bill let's them through the doors that hiss as though they were lifted from the Death Star, she's a nobody, unimportant. Just another vehicle, keeping the place running.

"Yeah, I'd like that," she replies with a smile of her own.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't know how far I intend to take this, but I've still got quite a few chapter ideas, so I'll still be updating.


End file.
